1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electric power tools. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk-shaped saw having a base and a motor-driven circular blade mounted on the base.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical circular saw includes a generally rectangular base and a main body mounted on the base. The main body in turn includes a motor-driven disk-shaped blade disposed generally on one side thereof and a motor housing encasing a motor disposed on the opposite side thereof. The forward end of the upper blade guard (adjacent to the cutting end of the saw blade) is coupled via a pivot shaft and a support member to the base in a manner that permits the blade guard to pivot about the shaft along the side faces of the blade. Furthermore, the rear end of the upper blade guard is coupled by a thumbscrew to an arcuate depth guide disposed on the base. The amount of the blade protruding below the base (i.e., the depth of cut) can be adjusted by securing the rear end of the main body to a desired position along the length of the depth guide.
Additionally, the support member and the depth guide are connected to the base with respective connecting shafts or pins oriented parallel to the saw blade in such a manner as to allow the support member and the depth guide to tilt relative to the base in the directions orthogonal to the blade's side faces. This in turn allows adjustment of the tilt angle of the saw blade protruding below the base.
While this arrangement achieves its intended objective, it is not free from certain problems and inconveniences. For example, in replacement of flooring, accurate settings of the depth of cut is required so as not to cut joists or concrete panels underneath the floor boards. Such settings are often performed by measuring with carpenters square the amount of the blade protruding below the base, rendering the task cumbersome, often producing inaccurate results. One conventional approach to this problem is to provide a scale on the depth guide or the upper blade guard. However, as such a scale merely indicates the position of the main body relative to the depth guide or the upper blade guard, this does solve the problem. This problem is particularly exacerbated in bevel cutting since accurate setting of the depth of cut becomes even more difficult with a tilted blade.